The Gypsy's Child
by beckneversaysdie
Summary: Oliver O'Rourke, formerly known as Tanith Olivia O'Rourke, has always wanted to get away from Port Royal, where a street-kid like her is doomed to begging. When she passes off as a boy and gets herself onto a navy ship, she doesn't last long.


Chapter One. Obviously. :3

The girl stood tall. She was very skinny; her ribs stuck out like knives. She was only thirteen, but if she played her cards right, she would pass off to be at least three years older than that. Her hair was a faded red, and sticky with sand and salt. She was tan as leather, unlike the other girls on the island. Her eyes were a shiny silver, and intimidating as Hell. She was flat chested, which she was often teased for. She dressed like a boy, and she kept her hair short like one, too. She would wet her hands, and pull it up from the sides, spiking it in the middle. Her name was Tanith Olivia O'Rourke, but soon she would be known only as, "Ollie O'Rourke." If you haven't guessed yet, she was going to pass off as a boy. She had to get off the guard-infested Port Royal.

"Tanith, you'll get killed! There are pirates out there!" a boy shouted after Tanith as she walked toward the dock. He ran after her, tripping in the sand.

"Sod off, Hershell! I got to do what I got to do. The only life for a girl here is your mum's job, or beggin', and I ain't intendin' to do either!" Tanith shouted.

Hershell caught up to her, slipping on the now wet sand. "Be a boy here, Tanith!" he shouted.

Tanith reached into her pocket, pulling out two red and orange glass orbs. She began circling them around in her hand. They relaxed her. "If you're not going to let me go, I guess I can't ask ye to stay and wait with me?" she asked, now entirely calm.

Hershell huffed, then plopped himself on the sand, sitting with his legs crossed. "What're you waiting for?" he asked, pushing pebbles between his fingers.

"A navy ship, lookin' for ship's boys." Tanith explained. She sat next to the boy, sighing deeply. "Would ye like to hear my plan?" she asked.

Hershell slowly nodded, drawing circles in the sand. He almost flipped over backwards when Tanith pulled up his tunic.

"Look at those ribs, Hersh!" she winced. "They'll feed me on this ship. Do you know how golden that will be?" she laughed. "And, I hear ye get paid, and they teach ya things!" She was beaming now. Hershell was still hugging his tunic down to his knees, feeling violated. "The navy'll be stopping here today! And, for whatever reason, they want to take a couple boys! So they can get a proper education, and be English gentlemen!"

Hershell stared at Tanith. He knew something was wrong with her plan. It couldn't be all peppermints and taffies. "Don't you have to work, a lot?"

Tanith's face dropped, and she glared at the boy. "Naw, Hersh. They're paying boys to model their clothings." she laughed. Like that would ever happen. "Of course, we have to work!" she said, slapping his sunburned arm.

Hershell spat in his dirty palm and rubbed it on the burn. "I hear that if they discover you being a girl, and such, they'll drop you off. No matter where you are!" he said. "Like, cannibal islands, and active volcanoes!"

Tanith just laughed. "Seriously, Hershell? I'm absolutely positive that there's no such things as cannibals." she stood up, and stared out to sea. A large war galleon was sailing into port. "'Ere it is!"

Hershell hopped up, staring out at the sea.

Tanith grinned from ear to ear, watching it dock. "Welp, shall ye come with me?" she asked Hershell. "I'm sure you bein' able to read and all will get ye on that ship."

The boy shook his head reluctantly, frozen in his spot.

"Well, if you don't watch me off, the last thing you'll see is my back end headed towards the dock."

Hershell grinned, his eyes squinting. This did not make Tanith happy.

"Aw, grow a pair." she said, punching him in the sunburn, harder than before. She walked off toward the dock, ready to become a ship's boy.

"Bye, Tanith! See ya in the next life!" Hershell called after her. He wanted to tackle her and keep her here, but she would just peg him in the face and pin him to the dirt.

Tanith waved, then sprinted off to the dock. "Oh, yeah. This'll extremely fun." she thought to herself, beaming.


End file.
